Hunting party accidentally kills one of its own

A family outing in the Valley of Peace Area ended fatally for one member who was mistaken for wildlife. Sometime around four o’clock last Friday, a party of the Guardado family took off on a hunting trip. The group included thirty-nine year old Jose Antonio Guardado, his brother-in-law and three friends. The group headed to the Rio Azul Area fifteen miles from the village. After setting up camp near the river, Guardado went looking for some spice seeds while another went hunting. According to Deputy Officer in Charge of Belmopan Police, Inspector David Chi, one member of the family heard some rustle in bushes and assuming that it was game meat, fired a shot hitting Guardado on the face. At a press briefing today, Inspector Chi told us that the incident is being treated as an accident and the name of the person that fired the shot was not released.

Inspector David Chi, Deputy O.C., Belmopan Police
“A group of five men left on a hunting and fishing expedition in an area in Rio Azul, which is situated about fifteen miles north of Valley of Peace. Sometime around four p.m. on the same date, two of the five men left from near the river area—one going to look for some spice seed and the other to hunting. They left together and somewhere in the bushes they separated for a while. The fellow who was hunting reported that he heard the bushes moving as if some animal was coming to his direction. He then fired a single shot whereby upon checking what he shot, he found his companion lying on the ground bleeding from the forehead with some wounds. It was a shotgun and the investigation is on. We are trying to verify who all are the actual owners of this firearm. I cannot say at this moment if he had a license for that specific firearm.”

Chi says that they have the person responsible for the shooting detained and that it is uncertain if and what charge would be levied.